Is corporate communications kidnapping public relations

Abstract

While a number of public relations scholars and professionals view their field as synonymous with corporate communications, practitioners and theorists of the latter usually claim public relations as alma mater of their discipline yet still see corporate communications overcoming public relations. An analysis of modern literature in corporate communications unveils a battle for power in the field of relationship cultivation between scholars of corporate communications and those of public relations. This article argues that the field of public relations should have an identity based on functional, societal, and organizational goals that goes beyond the link between communication and business outcomes, such as revenues, earnings, and market share, claimed by the field of corporate communications. ©Journal of Professional Communication, all rights reserved.